


The Red of Ariel

by thelogrevoltongoing



Category: The Little Mermaid (1989)
Genre: Drabble, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-02
Updated: 2013-07-02
Packaged: 2017-12-17 11:53:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/867225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thelogrevoltongoing/pseuds/thelogrevoltongoing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eric wakes up. Something is missing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Red of Ariel

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Sometimes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/143832) by [silksieve](https://archiveofourown.org/users/silksieve/pseuds/silksieve). 



> i've never been much good at writing short things but i see a lot of this kind of drabble in fanfiction and it's inspired me. i hope this reads like a thought, or a dream. or a short film.
> 
> \--
> 
> thank you to [curlyandboobearstylinson](../../users/curlyandboobearstylinson) for support and initial reading.

His eyes opened slowly; the early-morning blur was blinked away lazily. The smallest of smiles danced in the corners of his mouth; the after-effect of a mermaid-filled dream. He felt a strange mixture of fuzziness and happiness; resulting in a sleepy kind of euphoria that reinforced his gentle smile. He turned over and was granted the sight of a sandy-coloured sheet. The emptiness of the bed was unfamiliar and there was an Ariel-shaped dent in the mattress; unsettling him. He allowed his eyes to move farther up; the massive window permitting him an inhibited view of the beach. He watched as the waves made their way toward the sand; stumbling over one another like little children; almost as though they too, had only just awoken and were taking their time in beginning the day's work. The blue of the ocean was cold and sharp against the way that the light reflected warmly off of the sand. The same sunlight shone through into the expanse of their bedroom; making everything golden. 

He was reminded of that first day; when he’d found Ariel wrapped in cloth and rope. Her makeshift halterneck was the same colour as the sheet; the same colour of the sand. He smiled to himself; only to be reminded of his initial unsettlement.

 

_Something was missing._

 

The red! _The red_ , he thought, _always the red_. It was what he ached for; what he knew would haunt him always. The red that was in perfect contrast to his caramel view of the lonely bed and the beach; and the beige hue of his memories.

The red of Ariel was significant to them both; albeit it in different ways. For him; it was the red of freedom. The red of passion. The red of love. A shocking disruption that transcended the dullness of the sand; the tired hue of the ocean and the neverending green of the countryside. She was like a firework; bursting suddenly and violently into the dark sky that was Eric’s life. Once the shock of the bang has subsided, though, one recognises that the explosion is welcome and something to be cherished. Something to excite you, delight you.

 _Yes_ , he decided, _Ariel is like a firework. The shipwreck was the spark we needed and the waters where she found me became the sky._

 

—

 

For her; it was the red of defiance. The red of individuality. Something that made her undeniable amongst the blues and greens of the ocean floor. Something she could never escape and now, she'd found someone who could never have his fill; never grow tired of it.

She had been pondering too. She’d been awake early and had crept down to let her feet be caressed by the gentle ebb and flow of the morning waves. She stared out along the horizon; at her former home. She smiled because she knew that she was happy. She knew with every fiber of her being. She’d found a place where her red didn't signal danger or cause for worry - Eric was unlike Triton in that way. He loved her. He loved her  _for_ her red and not _in spite_ of it.

She leaned back with closed eyelids and felt the sunshine warm her skin. _This_ , she thought, _is better than anything we have under the sea._


End file.
